The Clock Is Chiming
by pretty in orange
Summary: A sequel to The Hands Of The Clock. Shuuhei and Akina are finally getting to a good place, but that doesn't mean they don't have obstacles. Shuuhei/OC, rating may go up.
1. Morning After

A/N: Here's the sequel to Hands of the Clock, The Clock Is Chiming, TCIC for short, if I don't feel like typing the whole title in reference. I hope you're here because you enjoyed Hands of the Clock, and this will be posted as each chapter is finished. I don't know why I wanted to post HotC as I did... Anyway, let's get going.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I do own Akina. I don't make any profit from this. Please ask to use Akina.

* * *

"Morning." Shuuhei sat at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in his hand. "Sit." He motioned to the chair opposite him.

"You'll be late for work." Akina muttered, but she sat down. Her usual smile was MIA, and she displayed dark circles under her eyes. "I bet there's a lot of paperwork for you to do."

"It's being handled." Shuuhei's voice was calm. "Now we need to talk." Akina dropped her head down onto the table, groaning loudly. "You know as well as I do that this won't just blow over." Shuuhei resisted the urge to touch her shoulder or her hair to try and comfort her. He mentally told himself that he wasn't allowed to do that kind of thing unless she allowed it.

To his surprise, Akina laughed. "I know it's not going to blow over, Shuuhei. That just doesn't mean I want to deal with it." She sat up, stretching. "I know what I feel. And I don't want to ignore it." She looked away slightly, a pale smile on her face. "But at the same time, I feel guilty. I started feeling these things when there were still beliefs that Kaname could come back. So even though... Even though he's gone, I feel like I disrespected him." She laughed again, though this time it was a sad sound. "As stupid as it sounds, I feel horrible for feeling the way about you that I do. Even though he... he told me I could fall for someone else, I feel horrible. And I don't know what to do. I just... for the first time in over a hundred years, I don't have the slightest inkling of what to do. I feel weak and stupid and slutty." Akina buried her face in her hands.

"We believed he would come back." Shuuhei sighed. "But I doubt he ever would've. He was incredibly stuck in his ways, and I bet he didn't even think about coming back. And he clearly didn't feel guilty about it, so why should you feel guilty about falling for someone who's helped you and cared for you all this time? I don't see a reason you should have to feel any guilt." Maybe he was being too blunt with her, but he didn't feel he had anywhere else he could go. She needed to hear these things, whether she liked it or not.

The mask went up on Akina's face, the fake smile that Shuuhei had come to recognize. "You're right, of course." She stood, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I just don't know... should I be in a period of mourning, maybe? He did die, so maybe I shouldn't date anyone for a while?"

Shuuhei didn't know what to say to that. "You don't drink coffee." He said after a long moment of silence.

"I need the caffeine." Akina shrugged. "I don't know if I can ever trust someone the way I did him." She whispered, taking a sip of coffee and making a face.

"Here." Shuuhei nudged the sugar bowl towards her. "And love is work. I don't know what you and Kaname had, but it has its ups and downs and arguments and it takes time to get things right. So even if you don't trust me quite the same way, if we work at it, eventually you would be able to." Given he didn't screw up, but Shuuhei kept that thought to himself.

"You're right." Akina stared into her coffee. "I guess that's a little bit of a new concept to me though, because Kaname had my love from day one." She smiled at Shuuhei, and though it was exhausted, it was genuine. "Ever since the day I met him, I would've gone through hell and back for him..." She ran her fingers down the scar she had received trying to protect Kaname so long ago, but when it reached her neckline of her shirt she dropped her hand to the table. Shuuhei had never seen the whole scar; he just knew that she had almost died from it when it happened.

"It's your choice." Shuuhei shrugged. "Whatever you choose to do is alright with me." The look he received from Akina told him she knew that he was bluffing.

"Heard you're getting a new captain." She took a drink of her sweetened coffee. "That'll be pretty strange for you."

Fine, as long as she thought about her answer, he'd talk with her about anything else. "It'll be nice not to have to do everything big by myself." Shuuhei shrugged again.

"Yeah." Akina stared into her coffee cup. She bit down on her bottom lip, and then dumped her coffee in the sink. "I have to get to work. We have follow up check-ups to do and I don't want to be late. I expect to see you at your two o' clock appointment for that stab wound."

Shuuhei nodded, and then watched her slip out the door. He knew that she would know if he didn't go to it too- while Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Isane usually conducted the exams, Akina had access to all the records.

Shuuhei downed the rest of his coffee and stepped into the bathroom to finish getting ready. He really was none too excited about getting a captain for his division, but it couldn't be helped.

Just like his feelings for Akina couldn't be helped.

* * *

"Akina!" Isane laughed, sitting beside her. "You look like you were run over a couple times. Are you going to make it?"

"Just let me sit for a minute." Akina sighed. She was truly exhausted; she'd been unable to get any sleep the night before, and now the medic division was swamped. "It's never been so busy in the whole time I've worked here."

"Hopefully it will cool back down after a few days." Isane smiled. "So... are you ok? With what happened during the war?"

Akina looked up at her. Deciding not to lie took a lot of courage on her part. "Yeah, yeah, I think I am." She smiled a little, kicking her feet around. "I have some other stuff going on now... but I'll be ok." She tipped her head back slightly and closed her eyes. "I mean... bad things are always going to happen... But you can make good things happen to you too, I think. It's all about choices. Other people's and your own. You can't control other people, but you can choose to do things that make you and them happy." She laughed out loud. "I'm sorry. I just feel like I needed to talk to someone. I must sound like I'm rambling."

"Not at all." Isane smiled. "It's a good realization to have and to share." Isane paused and studied her. "But to me it sounds like you found someone who makes you happy again. Do you want to clue me in to who is making you like this?"

"No one formally, not yet." Akina returned her smile. "But I will have to tell someone something when I get off work." She stood. "But I have to get back to work. See you later, Isane." She disappeared down the hall before Isane could get another word in.

* * *

Captain Kensei Muguruma was in an especially foul mood, and Shuuhei could not for the life of him figure out why. Shuuhei had taken to doing all the deskwork so Kensei didn't have to deal with any of that, but the silver-haired man was still snapping at everyone. Shuuhei was beginning to feel like punching his captain, and that was not a good place to be.

Stay calm, he told himself. The best he could do was focus on the paperwork and hope that Kensei didn't single him out for something ridiculous. Shuuhei tried to remind himself what a good lieutenant does, but he had been the acting captain for so long that Kensei was just aggravating him. Oh, it was going to be an extremely long day.

* * *

"Shuuhei!" Akina vaulted herself at Shuuhei, much in the same way she used to do to Kaname Tosen. Shuuhei teetered for a moment, but all the aggravation from a day of Kensei snapping at everyone flowed right out Shuuhei's toes and rooting him to the ground. "Shuuhei, can we talk?"

"Yeah." The light in Akina's eyes made Shuuhei remember that he had to walk to get anywhere appropriate for a conversation of that caliber. "Are you ready to go home then?"

"Yes!" Akina smiled brightly at him. She seemed to almost grab his hand, but then stepped away slightly, hesitating.

Shuuhei gently wrapped his hand around hers, and when she didn't let go, he knew everything would be alright, if only for a while.

* * *

A/N: I want to give a quick shout out to rnn21 for reviewing the story before this! Thank you! And what do you guys think of the sequel so far?


	2. Realizations And Mistakes

A/N: This is one of the times I think, "Why in the world did you start so many fanfictions?" And then I realize because I really like the plots of all of them. In other news, anyone else like HalliStarrk? I've got some serious shipping love over there that will manifest soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I do own Akina. I don't make profit from this. Please ask to use Akina.

* * *

"So you're willing to give this relationship a go?" Akina smiled slightly at Shuuhei as he shut the front door behind them. "Because... I think I am."

"Yes." Shuuhei nodded. "But you need to be sure. I don't want to drag you into something you're not sure about."

"I am." Akina smiled a little brighter. "Really." Stepping forward, she hugged him gently. "I used to love Kaname... but when he left, he broke my heart. And by the time it had healed completely, it had realized that it wasn't in love with him anymore. And... You're incredibly important to me, Shuuhei. I have feelings for you that I don't want to put into words yet." Akina looked up at him. "And I think things could really work." She gave him a gentle smile.

Shuuhei blinked, and he could feel a faint blush on his cheeks. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her. "If you're sure." He said quietly, laying a hand on her back gently, between her shoulder blades. Akina's face went as red as her hair at that simple touch.

"Um..." Akina was clearly embarrassed, but at the same time she seemed to be enjoying the closeness. "I... um... I'll get started on dinner then." She darted into the kitchen, rustling around.

"It's my turn to cook." Shuuhei followed her, but kept his distance. Something wasn't quite right with how she was acting, and he needed to know what it was.

"You're off the hook today." Akina wouldn't look at him, her face was the same color as a tomato, and... Were those tears in her eyes?

"Akina, what's wrong?" Shuuhei touched her shoulder, but that only seemed to further elicit panic from her. "Akina, don't be afraid to tell me anything." To be honest, her attitude was just a little frustrating. She had broken down in front of him numerous times, been all but naked in front of him, talked to him about anything, let him train her, and now she was hiding something. It drove him absolutely up the wall.

"You have to promise not to be mad." Akina murmured, taking a deep breath. "Because I won't be able to take it if you get mad over something I can't control." She turned to him, setting the vegetables she had been washing in the sink.

"I won't be mad over anything you can't control." Shuuhei shook his head, as intelligent as she could be, she could be incredibly ridiculous sometimes.

"Kaname used to... used to put one hand between my shoulder blades... and touch my shoulder like that." Akina took a deep, shuddering breath again. Shuuhei silently begged her not to have a breakdown; they needed to be able to talk about these kinds of things. "And I know I should probably just forget that ever happened, but I can't, and I'm sorry, ok?" She wasn't letting the tears fall, but she was upset, that much was clear.

"I'm not going to ask you to forget Kaname." Shuuhei said evenly. "I don't have to forget him, why should you? I can change the way I do or say certain things to help you, but your memories are always going to be a part of you. I wouldn't change that for the world, because without Kaname leaving, I never would've fallen for you. And the same goes for vice versa."

Akina smiled, though her eyes were still teary. "Thank you." She turned back to the sink, looking a little embarrassed still.

"Are you going to let me help you?" Shuuhei asked. He was sure she wasn't going to let him have kitchen duty all to himself this time, possibly anymore.

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Akina laughed, and though it sounded just a little nervous, it was genuine. "You can start the rice."

Silence overtook the kitchen, but it wasn't odd. Somehow, they knew whatever impasse they hit; they would find a way over it.

They hoped.

* * *

A/N: A shorter chapter because I'm so distracted tonight. What did you think though?


	3. Scars

A/N: Ah, every single time I hear "Over You" by Miranda Lambert, I think of this story! It drives me a little nuts sometimes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or make any profit from this, but I do own Akina, so please ask to use her, ok?

* * *

"You're up early." Shuuhei noted as Akina bustled around the kitchen. "You have to go into work for something special?"

"Yes." Akina's tone was clipped, nervous. "I have to go to the fourth early." Something about the way she worded her phrases made Shuuhei think something was at hand.

"Why do you need to go in so early?" Shuuhei pressed, taking a drink of his coffee. "Do you have some filing or something to do?" He knew he likely wouldn't get anywhere without pressing her a little closer to the edge, but if he treaded carefully first, he just might get an idea.

"Or something." Akina mumbled. Shuuhei couldn't help but notice that her shihakusho was closed further than it usually was, was it an attempt to hide her scar?

"Alright, what are you up to?" Shuuhei stood and stepped in front of her. "You're worrying me, Akina."

"Sorry." Akina gave him a tiny smile. "I'm not sick or hurt or anything like that, I swear. I just needed to talk to Captain Unohana about something." She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to do it. "Don't worry, ok?" She pulled him down to kiss his cheek. "This is no big deal at all."

A slight pause made Akina's smile waver. "Alright." Shuuhei nodded and kissed her temple. "You'll be off work at the normal time then?"

"Yup!" Akina grinned at him. "You too, right?"

"Yeah." Shuuhei smiled slightly. He wouldn't miss out on walking her home if Kensei tried to take him out for leaving on time.

"Ok, I have to go then, see you later!" Akina kissed his cheek again, and then darted out the door, barely taking time to slide her shoes on.

Shuuhei watched her go, still a little apprehensive about whatever she was meeting with Unohana about. But he would trust her as best as he could. She deserved trust, didn't she?

* * *

"Right on time." Unohana guided Akina into an exam room and shut the door behind them quietly. "Let me see it then." Akina eased the sash off her clothes and pulled them open to reveal the scar she had acquired on _that_ night. The night where she had tried to protect Kaname and almost gotten killed by a hollow in return.

"I did try my best to try and not let it scar when it happened..." Unohana sighed. "But I was more focused on saving your life at the time." She touched a hand to Akina's throat where the scar began. "The scar tissue is so thick and almost... matted on top of itself... I can't think of anything right off the bat that would help it at all. There are certain things we could do to fade the pigment, so maybe it wouldn't be so noticeable, but beyond that..." Unohana studied the scar, and then Akina's nervous face. "I'm sorry." The captain shook her head. "There really isn't much I can do."

"Right. I understand." Akina closed her robes and tied the sash quickly. Her heart was broken in her chest, and she was holding back tears, but she tried to convince herself it would be ok. That it probably didn't matter anyway, that it would be ok; she felt like she was lying one massive lie to herself even as she thought it.

"May I ask why you want to get rid of that scar so badly?" Unohana asked, shaking her head slightly. "Most Shinigami love their scars, it shows what they survived through... that would be a pretty big triumph for you. You could've easily died from that wound, but you pulled through."

"It won't leave this room?" Akina asked softly. "We'll talk woman to woman and it won't ever leave this room or your mouth to anyone?" She flinched at the supposed rudeness in her tone, but Unohana took it for exactly what it was, nerves.

"Of course." Akina's Captain smiled at her. "I can keep a secret."

"Well... I'm with Shuuhei now... and I'm nervous about him seeing the scar in all its entirety..." Akina blushed and looked away. "I mean... I feel horrible saying it, but Kaname couldn't physically see the scar. He knew it was there, and he touched it... but that doesn't seem the same to me."

"Akina..." Unohana smiled. "You don't think Shuuhei has any scars?"

"Well..." Akina gave a little shrug. She hadn't analyzed this as much as she should've. "As bad as this one? I don't know... probably not..."

"When he was in the academy, he was attacked by a group of hollows. You know that scar that he has over his right eye?" Unohana paused. "It's not the only one. And I'm telling you doctor to doctor, so that you know any of this stays confidential, alright?" Unohana paused again, standing up to grab a file off the counter. "But you're both Shinigami, and you're going to have scars. Regardless if his are a little less visible, they're there. So don't fret over it."

"Yes, Captain Unohana!" Akina could've hugged her captain at that moment, but she didn't. "Thank you so much!" She bounced out of the room, grinning.

* * *

"What is your problem?" Shuuhei asked the – yet again – obviously pissed off Captain Kensei Muguruma. "What put you in such a horrible mood the second you came here?" In normal circumstances, he wouldn't have confronted his Captain, but he could not take it anymore. He physically could not take it. Deskwork was annoying enough without trying to tune out Kensei rattling everyone's brain.

To his surprise, Kensei quieted down. "That's none of your business, Hisagi." He growled, but he stomped over to his desk without another word to anyone.

Suddenly, Shuuhei had an idea. "If you're missing someone, I bet you could get her here." He had a pretty good idea who his Captain might be missing too: a certain lady with green hair.

"Shut up, Hisagi. And do your deskwork." Kensei was none too pleased, and Shuuhei knew he had hit a sore spot. Very well, the yelling was over with now at least, and he could get his work done.

* * *

"You look especially happy today." Shuuhei noted, poking Akina's chin lovingly. "Still not going to tell me why you went into work early?"

"It's not important." Akina beamed up at him. "It's not important at all now." She pulled him down, standing on her tiptoes to meet him halfway, and kissed him gently on the lips.

Shuuhei could tell that under the tattoos, he was blushing hard. But he kissed her back, despite that they stood in the middle of Sereitei, and several people were staring.

Simply put, those things just didn't matter.

* * *

A/N: This chapter took freaking forever! I tried really hard to have it done before nine here, and that did not happen. Agh, I've got so much work to do. Anyway, what'd you think?


	4. Room

A/N: I haven't added over here in forever! I think I may put some projects on temporary hiatus until I finish some of the passel, but I really want to finish this. So. Bad. But I've got a lot of plans for over here, so I can't just do it in one night. Anyway, I bet you want story. Here you go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I make no profit off of this. I do own Akina, so please ask to use her, ok?

* * *

"Shuuhei?" Akina's voice came from the bathroom. She cracked the door, barely peeking out. When he came to the door, waiting, she smiled sheepishly. "I forgot a shirt. Do me a favor, please?" Her hair was dripping down her shoulders, and she was genuinely embarrassed. But, Shuuhei did notice that she seemed to be hiding her chest more than her scar, which made him feel a little more secure. He retrieved her a black tank top, what she had taken to wearing under her shihakusho.

"This?" He held out the shirt, trying not to stare at the amount of bare skin he could see. Damn it, he wasn't a pervert by any means, but he was a man. He couldn't help looking a little bit.

"Thank you!" Akina skinned the shirt on, and then exited the bathroom. "I have to go back into the fourth for a little while, so I'm going to miss dinner. You can manage, right?"

Shuuhei nodded. "What do you need to go back into work for?" He was all too familiar with Akina's nearly workaholic ways. She pushed herself to the max every day, to the point of exhaustion, and lately she was going back into work and missing dinner. Shuuhei's eyebrows drew in with worry.

"Oh, new recruits." Akina smiled, and Shuuhei could tell exactly how exhausted she was when it didn't reach her eyes. She loved new recruits too, she loved teaching and helping, but she was pushing herself much too hard lately. "Isane and I offered to do some division specific training workshops with them. I'll only be gone for a few hours. I'll be home by eleven at the latest." Gods. At that Shuuhei almost wanted to stage an intervention. Both he and Isane had enabled her much too long.

"I'll come get you." Shuuhei sighed. And while he was there, he could sneak into Captain Unohana's office and have a little chat with her about Akina's hours. He did have some jurisdiction over Akina's hours; even though he was in a different division Shuuhei _was_ several seats higher than her. And he lived with her, so he could see the toll it took on her.

"Shuuhei, honestly." Akina shook her head. "You trained me, I'll be ok." She grabbed her shihakusho and pulled it on over the thin clothes, tying it shut. "Don't you have any faith in me?" She was frowning a little, so unlike her.

"Just let me do it." Shuuhei pressed. "I was going to go visit Komamura anyway." Akina heaved a sigh, but she didn't argue after that. "Wear your coat. It's going to get cold here in a few hours." Shuuhei felt a little like an overprotective parent, but at the same time he didn't want to let her get hurt or sick, even if it meant sounding like a Mother. Akina looked at him for a long, quiet moment, and then turned to him, hugging him and chuckling softly.

"Thank you." She whispered, smiling up at him.

Shuuhei didn't even have to ask what she was thanking him for.

* * *

"Shuuhei." Komamura smiled briefly at his friend as he entered the office. "I haven't seen you in a long while. How have you been?"

"Well." Shuuhei slumped into a chair. "You're working late." When that comment was met with only a grunt, Shuuhei added, "Akina isn't doing well."

Komamura blinked, he was likely just as attached to Akina, though in a much different way. Shuuhei could only guess that Komamura had taken to her in a very parent-like way. "What's going on with her?"

"She's working too much." Shuuhei shook his head. "And I can tell she's exhausted and then she takes extra shifts and jobs, misses dinner completely and won't eat leftovers, and falls asleep in her clothes." Running his fingers through his hair and further mussing it, he shook his head. "I don't know what to do."

"I'll talk to Unohana for you." Komamura glanced at the window. "I have more authority, so I can probably convince her to cut down on Akina's hours, at least for a little while."

"Thank you." Shuuhei felt a little guilty about not just doing it himself, but he realized that Komamura probably wanted to help too. What was the harm in letting him?

"Where is she now?" Komamura stacked some papers, setting them in another pile to be taken where they needed to go next. "Is she working?"

"Yeah. Teaching workshops with Isane." Shuuhei stood. "I'm going to put in my two cents with Captain Unohana too. So I'll talk to you later." When Komamura gave a nod, Shuuhei slipped out the door.

* * *

"Akina, do you need to sit down?" Isane was all but holding the smaller girl up. The students were safely grinding herbs for ointments, but Akina had started to sway on her feet and now she seemed too dizzy – or maybe fatigued – to stand.

"Sorry." Akina let Isane hold onto her. "It's just that I've been having some trouble sleeping, and then I wanted extra jobs to keep me busy..." She sighed. She really didn't mean to do herself any harm by doing it, but everything had just hit her like a tidal wave lately. She felt like everything was stressing her out more than it probably should, and being nervous around her boyfriend, Shuuhei, wasn't helping at all. Especially when he lived just down the hall from her.

"You're going to sit down until Shuuhei gets here." Isane pulled a chair over from where the students had sat for the lecture and eased Akina into it.

Akina felt absolutely terrible. She didn't want people worrying about her, but it seemed that was all she was doing by trying to pick up more jobs and shifts. She just wanted to help, and be busy. It seemed that she was just making everything worse by wanting those things though.

Finally, the students were released for the night, and Shuuhei came in, raising an eyebrow at Akina collapsed in a chair. "Can you walk?" He asked, leaning down to her. It was just like Akina to get herself in over her head.

"I'm in a chair." Akina muttered, though it didn't come off as rude. It came off as completely exhausted and somewhat unintelligent because of it.

"Alright, come on." Shuuhei scooped her up – why was she so light? How many meals had she missed lately? – And proceeded to take her home.

"Shuuhei?" Akina murmured, tucking her face against his collarbone. She couldn't remember the last time someone had carried her, but in her sleepy stupor she found it very nice.

"Yeah?" Shuuhei didn't glance down, but he was clearly listening. "What is it?"

"You can sleep in my room tonight." Akina said softly. "If you want to." Shuuhei blinked; did he dare trust that? He'd never slept in Akina's room once, even though they'd been dating for a while now. "It would be nice." Akina added.

"Alright." Shuuhei smiled slightly. Maybe it would help her get some of the rest she'd been missing out on the past few weeks. He realized that she had started to doze in his arms, and he held her just a bit closer. He doubted she'd be changing into her pajamas for the night, so he took her into her room, tucking her in before lying on top of the covers next to her. Akina shuddered slightly as his hand grazed hers, and then slowly curled around it.

She'd been through so much, Shuuhei knew. And she would be doing so well if she weren't so obsessed with her work. Holding her hand lightly, he stared at her sleeping face. Would she ever really heal? Could he have somehow managed to save Kaname for her? There were too many thoughts in his head and not enough room. Shuuhei contemplated getting up to change into something more comfortable to sleep in, but didn't want to disturb Akina. Damn it was cold in there. After a little hesitation, Shuuhei slowly started to move to get under the covers with her.

"Don't go." Akina whispered in her sleep. Shuuhei looked at her, his brow creasing with worry. Could she possibly, subconsciously remember Kaname leaving?

"I'm not going anywhere." Shuuhei murmured, kissing her forehead lightly before slipping under the blankets next to her. Cautiously, he draped one arm over her, trying to let her know that he was there without waking her.

"Mm..." Akina snuggled against him. Shuuhei couldn't help the smile that came across his face. He was there, and he'd always be there for her. And if she knew this, everything would be ok.

* * *

A/N: This chapter took friggin' forever! I tried so hard to have it done in one night but it ended up taking almost a week. But I did it. Take that writer's block. Anyway! What did you think?


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